Inkwell (Pyxis)
Inkwell (Pyxis)
Place of OriginRoman Empire
Date1st-2nd century CE
DimensionsH: 2 3/16 in. (5.6 cm); Rim Diam: 2 9/16 in. (6.6 cm); Body Diam: 1 31/32 in. (5.0 cm); Base Diam: 2 3/8 in. (6.0 cm).
MediumGlass; free blown and tooled.
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1923.558
Not on View
DescriptionThis Roman glass container may have been used as an inkwell. Its cylindrical form and small central opening are similar to known examples in metal and ceramic. The vessel is made of dark greenish glass decorated with white threads melted into the surface to resemble marble. The top and bottom edges are slightly raised, and the base is hollowed, indicating it was made by hand without molds.
Published ReferencesHayes, John W., Roman and Pre-Roman Glass in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, 1975, p. 55, no. 129. (A close parallel dated "Mid-late 1st century A.D.").
Puma R. D. de, Art in Roman Life: Villa to Grave, Roma, "L'Erma" di Bretschneider, 2009, no. 188, p. 134.
Exhibition HistoryCedar Rapids Museum of Art, Art in Roman Life: Villa to Grave, September 2003-August 2005 (no catalog).
Comparative ReferencesMentioned by Auth 1977, as a parallel to her no. 146.
1900-1910
1st-2nd century CE
1st century CE
1st-2nd century CE
Late 2nd to early 3rd century CE
1st-2nd century CE
Mid- to late 4th century CE
Late 18th Dynasty (about 1350–1300 BCE)
1st-2nd century CE
Second half of the first century CE
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